, Plenary
Emergency Question: Riots in Cardiff
Diolch yn fawr, Heledd Fychan, and thank you for your words of support and sympathy to the families and to all of those who have been affected by this in the community of Ely. I just want to say that I've already met with the Police and Crime Commissioner for…
, Plenary
Emergency Question: Riots in Cardiff
Well, I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for that supplementary question. I was shocked and saddened, as I'm sure we all are today, to hear of the tragic death of two young people involved in a serious road traffic collision in the Ely area of Cardiff yesterday…
, Plenary
Emergency Question: Riots in Cardiff
Thank you for that question. This is a tragic incident. My thoughts are with all affected. While South Wales Police urgently investigate the circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further. I would call for calm and for people to support…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
There are a number of points there that I would want to respond to, but I think I ought to start by saying that the events of last week have once again brought the issues of bullying, misogyny, sexual harassment and abuse into sharp focus, and this is across…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Joel James. And I am glad that I am able to answer your question, I have to say. As Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip, I have taken on a ministerial role for the co-operation agreement to support progress against the commitments…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr, Alun Davies. It was very good to see your pupils today in the public gallery from Blaenau Gwent, and I think they were asking you some testing questions as well, which shows that they have ambitions for their lives, because people across…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr, Alun Davies. We know how pertinent our actions on child poverty must be, and we continue to focus our activity and budgets towards supporting people, including in Blaenau Gwent. We involved nearly 3,000 people over the spring, many with lived…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr. Welsh Government has also always recognised the value of this women’s residential centre as an alternative to a custodial sentence, and in providing much-needed support for vulnerable women in the criminal justice system. It is a pilot; it’s a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr. The Ministry of Justice’s application to create a residential women’s centre in Swansea is currently going through an appeal with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Andrew R.T. Davies. The way in which we're developing this child poverty strategy, this forthcoming strategy for consultation, is engaging. I engage with all Ministers, because every Minister in this Government has a responsibility, so…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr, Heledd Fychan. I do want to say at this point that I have given a commitment to publish a revised child poverty strategy by the end of the year. We've spent quite a lot of time in the last few weeks and months engaging with people with lived…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Heledd. We continue to prioritise actions to reduce child poverty, including within South Wales Central. During 2022-23 and 2023-24, we have allocated support worth more than £3.3 billion, through programmes that go towards helping…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Vikki Howells. Isn't it good that we've got your question in? Because you've actually opened up a whole new area of work, which others, I'm sure, across the Chamber will want to consider and look at in their communities. I'm really…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Absolutely, cash is key. I'm really glad we've got this focus on access to finance and cash for disabled people, and the questions that have been put to me this afternoon. I certainly, through not just responding to the Petitions Committee, which has already…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Of course the loss of banks from our high streets is such a challenge to communities and businesses. All parts of Wales are affected, but particularly rural and more deprived communities. To help ensure face-to-face access to banking services continues to be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Luke, for your very important question.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you, Luke Fletcher. We are working closely with credit unions across Wales so financially excluded people can access affordable credit and savings products locally. I'm also engaging regularly with responsible lenders to ensure they're doing all they…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Well, Altaf, you've made it clear, and you're absolutely right in your statement, in terms of the cost-of-living crisis having a huge and detrimental impact on the lives of our citizens—food inflation running at 19 per cent, and people now who are in work…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr, Mike Hedges. Absolutely, I hope everybody in this Chamber will thank all those, mostly volunteers, who are setting up and running foodbanks. We actually had the Trussell Trust come to the cost-of-living Cabinet committee—I've mentioned that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Mike Hedges. We continue to support community food organisations to manage an increase in demand. In 2023, we provided £3.5 million to support community food organisations to help them to overcome barriers to accessing, storing and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Sioned Williams. I'm delighted that I've only just recently written to the Chair of the Petitions Committee, Jack Sargeant, responding to that petition—the petition with concerns raised by Mencap Cymru about disabled people being unable…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. The baby bundle scheme, as you say, has been successfully piloted. I was delighted to be at the launch of that. It's very much an initiative of the Deputy Minister for Social Services, Julie Morgan. It's a universal gift, and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Well, I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to update on the discretionary assistance fund. Can I also, again, we've mentioned the Bevan Foundation more than once this afternoon, thank them for their guidance and the engagement that we've had in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. Can I just go back to the point related to your first question? Not only are we working with the Bevan Foundation, but very shortly, we’re meeting with them to look at the work that they’ve undertaken with the Policy in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip
Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. I fully support and welcome the report from the Bevan Foundation; indeed, we are working very closely with the Bevan Foundation. And I have to say this is also part of our work in the co-operation agreement, so that we can…
